24

Stack overflow is overrated

With that I mean that a lot of people think that stack overflow is the best thing that every programmer has and can't live without it. That if stack overflow is down, nobody is able to write a single line without bugs. That 47.24% of a programmers time is spent searching on stack overflow. Sure, it is helpful for finding answers, and some are very good at explaining stuff, but it's not essential. I made an account when I started coding, because it "sure is the most important thing, right?", but the only thing I have done with it is changing the profile picture, because I simply don't use stack overflow that much. When I search my problems on Google, I mostly find the answer on some specific forum for that library I'm using, or more often, in the official documentation for it, no need for stack overflow. I'm not trying to say that it is not useful at all or that it should be taken down because nobody uses it, but that it is not essential in every programmers life.

Comments
  • 12
    I don't think many programmers think that. It's just an exaggerated meme.
  • 6
    It's a great place for frustrated devs to scold and downvote newcomers.
  • 1
    Quite often when dealing with somewhat complex subjects stack overflow is off.... (e.g. C# dllimports)
  • 2
    I'm too dumb to implement obscure things on my own, so I disagree
  • 5
    The more I use it the more I become wise to the pitfalls. It's a good starting point and place to spiral out from. You must be willing to constantly sharpen your Google-fu, think critically, question everything.

    Posts become obsolete. are they using a different version of jquery or python or php or the OS?

    Accepted answers might not [often are not] the best or even applicable for your usage case.

    Sure as hell beats buying a book for one single part of a large library I want to leverage; but I'll be sure to r
    RTFM.

    So...It is simply one tool. Use it right and it is rewarding. Be flippant and pay the consequences.
  • 2
    Its just a place to share common knowledge and best practices. At least that's how i use it
  • 3
    If Google was down, then nobody would be looking for answers on Stack Overflow. Seriously, like Lahsen says, I think the majority of devs google their issues first before checking any other site...
  • 1
    You got that wrong, we clearly only spend 42% of our time searching on S.O.
  • 1
    I dont have an account on stack overflow. Must be a lone wolf :-)
Add Comment